Countdown
by NerdyGerl
Summary: The date that Brennan wished for is here.  Will she and Booth be able to find their happily ever after, or will he be too late?
1. Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: I found some time to type today, and this little plot bunny jumped out. I have an idea where Booth is waiting for Brennan. I probably played a bit around with the dates, but such is the freedom of a fanfiction writer. Let me know if you are interested in a part two. Enjoy.

Countdown: Part One

Temperance Brennan found herself sitting at her office desk tapping a pencil. She was supposed to be looking over some Jeffersonian expense reports before she sent them off to Cam, but her eyes were unfocused and the rhythmic tapping was the only sign that the scientist was even in the building.

"Sweetie." Angela's voice called out as she entered the room.

Brennan continued to tap the pencil, staring off into space.

"Earth to Bren?"

The tapping finally stopped and Brennan looked up at her friend. Blinking her eyes twice, she focused on the artist. "I'm sorry, Angela, did you need something? I'm quite busy today."

"Yeah, I can see that." Angela scoffed. "I just wanted to say hello."

"Oh. Hello."

"Bren, I've been on maternity leave for four weeks, and all you can say is hello?"

"Right, where is the baby?"

"With Hodgins. He loves having a baby strapped to his chest. He says it's never to early to train a scientist, although since the baby won't be able to see clearly for another few months, the microscope may have to wait."

"That's true." Brennan said seriously, but blankly. Angela noticed that her friend was staring off into space again.

"Sweetie, that was a joke. What has got you so distracted today?"

Brennan's expression gave nothing away, but she couldn't keep her eyes from sweeping over her desk calendar before addressing her friend. "I don't know."

"That is not an answer."

"It's nothing. It's silly."

Angela stared down the anthropologist, but got nothing out of her. She sighed and spoke again. "Anyway, I just stopped by to see if you wanted to join me for lunch. I've missed things around the lab. And I've missed my best friend."

"I saw you two days ago. We had dinner together. I changed a diaper. Don't you remember?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Come on. You are getting out of the lab. Now! Come on, move!" The artist grabbed her friend's jacket and practically forced it on her. Before Brennan could protest further, Angela was pushing her out of her office. Angela had seen her friend's tell and slyly glimpsed at the desk calender. In the faintest pencil line, today's date was circled. However, there was nothing else written in the box to indicate why Brennan had noted today as something special.

* * *

The two friends sat at the diner sipping coffee while waiting for their entrees. Brennan was staring out of the window, her eyes unfocused and unblinking.

"Seriously, Sweetie. Spill. What is going on with you?"

Brennan sighed. "It's nothing. I just thought that today was going to be different."

"Different, how?" Brennan nervously twisted the dolphin ring that she always wore, a habit that Angela had never noticed from her usually confident best friend. Still, Brennan said nothing. Angela smirked a bit, "Look, I know that I'm not Studly..."

Brennan's eyes snapped up and met her friend for the first time during their lunch together. "This doesn't have anything to do with Booth. Why would you think that?"

Angela took a triumphant sip of her coffee, and said nothing as the waitress brought over their meals. She expertly diverted the conversation topic to pictures of the happy family, which she blithely shared with any waitstaff who was interested.

* * *

Seven hours later, Brennan was down in Bone Storage putting away the remains of a skeleton. It should have been a fascinating case. It was a body retrieved from a Civil War battlefield site, but a female and also from a time period closer to the War of 1812. Her theory was that the battlefield had once been a homestead and someone's young wife or daughter had been buried years before thousands of soldier's lost their lives. She would normally have tried to trace who may have owned the land during that time period and dredge through historical records, but her heart just wasn't in it today. She would have to finish the job tomorrow. She glanced at her watch and sighed.

"Dr. Brennan?" Brennan turned to see Wendell at the entryway.

"Yes?"

"It's getting late. I just wanted to let you know that I was heading home. And I left that draft of my thesis chapter for you to look at when you have time."

"Thank you, Mr. Bray. I will take a look at it when I get a chance."

"Any chance that you will look it over tonight? I was hoping to do some edits this weekend, so if I could have it back in the morning or early afternoon, it would be helpful. I know it's late, but..."

Brennan glanced at her watch again. She sighed, "No, I have nothing else planned tonight. I'd be happy to look at it." She smiled at him, but she knew that it wasn't very convincing. Wendell could see that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Thanks, Dr. Brennan. I appreciate it. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care, and don't forget to eat some dinner. Agent Booth would yell at me if he knew that I knew how late it was and hadn't made you eat something."

Brennan turned away from her intern and back to the skeleton on the table. "I appreciate your concern. Goodnight, Mr. Bray."

* * *

Brennan's bedside clock was approaching midnight. She was watching the clock blink away the seconds, counting down to a new day. She wiped at her eye. It was irrational to be crying, Temperance Brennan did not cry. But she wiped at her eye again and grabbed her phone. No missed calls, no text messages, no voicemails. She threw her phone back against the table in disgust. Another minute flashed by. Another minute closer to the end of this wretched day. Another minute closer to tomorrow.

So what that Booth hadn't called? So what that she had hoped that today would be a different sort of day all-together? That was why she didn't make wishes, didn't hope, didn't have expectations. She learned when she was fifteen that wishes didn't come true. And she had stopped making them. Why had she let _him_ try to convince her otherwise?

Yet another minute ticked by. She shut her eyes tight and took several deep breaths. She exhaled slowly, trying to clear her mind and stave off the pounding of her head. The last thing she needed now was a headache. But wait, the pounding wasn't in her head, it was at her door.

"Bones! I know you are in there. Open up. I need to talk to you."

She rubbed her temples. Of course, _of course_, he would turn up _now_. One minute until midnight, one minute until tomorrow. A minute away from being able to start over and move on. Sixty seconds to go, and here he was knocking on her door.

There was desperation in his voice as he called again. "Bones, please!"

She got off of her bed and made her way slowly to the door. Forty seconds until she thought that she would be able to open the door and face him again. But she had already reached said door. He was still knocking, but he was quieter now. Some neighbor had yanked open his own door and was telling Booth to shut up, but he was still standing. She could see him through the peep-hole. Thirty more seconds and she knew that he would go. If she could keep the door closed for half a minute, he would go away.

Unfortunately, her traitorous hand was undoing the latch at the door. She couldn't stop her trembling hand from then sliding over the lock. Now her stupid hand was on the knob, turning it slowly. Why couldn't she just wait twenty more seconds?

The door clicked, and Brennan had to jump back as Booth's arm forcefully pushed it open wide.

Her eyes were wide as she questioned him. "Booth?"

He stepped towards her. He glanced at his watch. "Shh. There's no time." He took one final stride towards his partner and captured her lips with his own. She stood still in shock for a moment as his warmth spread through her chilled body. And suddenly her own body was on fire and she was kissing him back just as desperately as he was kissing her. She kept kissing him even as his watch beeped the hour, proclaiming it a new day. She kept kissing him until the need for oxygen was so great that she was forced to pull back. The partners both sighed as their lips separated. Their lips separated, but they clung to each other even tighter.

Booth pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "Hey, Bones."

Tears once again formed in her eyes, but she held them at bay. "I didn't think that you were coming. I thought that maybe you were still angry."

He chuckled. "I thought that maybe you were still impervious."

She pulled away slightly. "Why did you wait so long?"

"Why didn't you come to me? I've been waiting all day. Of all days, it had to be_ today_. You and I both know that."

"Traditionally, it is the male who approaches the females when it comes to courtship."

"Well, last time I put myself out there, I was brutally rejected. I thought maybe you'd come to me, not make me risk my heart again." He paused, "My metaphorical heart."

She hit him without any malice. "I know what you meant, Booth. But I was the last one who told you about my feelings. I thought that it would be your turn to confess your feelings to me. And that this time, when you said something I would be ready." She shook her head and tenderly fingered the fabric of his shirt. "I really didn't think that you were coming. I was preparing myself for the possibility of moving on."

"Oh, how'd that go?"

"Not well at all."

He pulled her tighter and settled his lips along her jawline, kissing her gently. "Bones, don't you know that I will always come for you? I decided that you were more important than my pride. When I saw what day it was, I hoped that maybe it would mean something to you, too. This is it, Bones. This is my last chance. That's why I'm here. This is the day that I wished for, tell me that you wished for it too. Please." He was begging now, but he didn't care.

Her voice was so soft that despite the minimal distance separating them, he couldn't hear her. "What was that, Bones?"

Her voice became stronger as she spoke. "Yes, Booth. This is the day that I wished for. I'm so glad that you are here."

"Bones, seven years ago today, I picked you up from the airport and our partnership was born. We've had our ups and downs, but we've always had each other. Is it possible that we can have each other for the next thirty years?"

Brennan said nothing, just leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the side of his neck and the intimacy of the kiss made him shiver. He shivered again as he heard her next words. "I'd prefer fifty."

Booth couldn't help himself. He picked her up and twirled her around. She protested. "Booth! Your back!"

He set her down, laughing. "You'd fix it for me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

Booth once again leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. He whispered against her lips, "Happy Anniversary, Bones."

She pulled away slightly. "It isn't technically our anniversary anymore."

"Shut up and kiss me, Temperance."

Brennan wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him close. Just before she settled her lips on his, he heard her say, "Happy Anniversary."


	2. Part Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Long time, no update on this one. My muse and my schedule were both working in my favor today, so I finally finished this one. It's short and hopefully sweet. I've changed this story to complete. I may add more chapters, but Lost in Translation and Man in Black are my writing priorities right now. I may add more chapters to this one at some point, but these one-shots seem pretty complete to me. Enjoy.

Part Two

Booth's alarm blared and he hit the snooze button. It was too early in the morning for the obnoxious noise, and he attempted to fall back asleep for another few minutes. As the alarm went off again, he pressed one last button and stretched. His bones cracked as he threw back the covers and got out of bed. He stretched again, suddenly remembering what day it was. He was now energized, even jittery as he threw on some running clothes. He would just take the usual route, burn off some nervous energy, and put his plan into motion.

Forty-five minutes later, a dejected Booth returned to his apartment. He had made several unnecessary laps, waiting for his partner to make her usual appearance, but she didn't show. He couldn't believe it. He had it all thought out. Pretend to run into her on her route, convince her to meet him for breakfast, make lunch plans over coffee, and make dinner plans over lunch. Only this time, he wasn't going to settle for take-out Thai. He was going to convince her to go to a nice restaurant, and over dinner they were going to talk, and after dessert he was going to take her home, and he was going to make his move. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to kiss him back. It was their day.

Yes, he had it all perfectly planned out in his mind. Their perfect day, ending with the perfect night. She had to know what day it was. How special it was going to be for the two of them, a new beginning for them. And it was all supposed to start with that early morning run.

He wasn't sure how he had missed her. She always ran three days a week in the morning when the weather was fine. She would settle for her gym when she had to, but the fall weather had been beautiful. She always ran at the same time, and he knew her preferred route. Yet she wasn't there. Suddenly worried about her safety he grabbed for his phone and sent a hasty text.

She responded in her usual blunt manner that she had been pulled into an early meeting with her publisher and had been unable to make her run. She was suitably grumpy about it, which pleased Booth even as it frustrated him. Clearly, breakfast was out of the question as well, and Booth showered and sent himself to the Hoover.

Booth made it through the morning, skipping his usual second cup of coffee. He was still feeling jittery. Every ten minutes he was found looking at the clock, waiting until the time when he could surprise Brennan for lunch and get back on track for his day. Finally, he decided that he had waited long enough. He flipped his lucky poker chip in the air and gathered himself. He was two steps away from his door when Caroline let herself into the office.

"Glad I caught you, I've got to go over your report from the Gyles case. Your lady scientist sent me her deposition, and after all of this time, I still can't translate what she says. I need you to walk me through this mumbo jumbo before I go in front of a big scary judge."

Booth rubbed his hair. "Caroline, can't this wait till this afternoon? I was just off to lunch."

"Go courtin' on your own time, _cher_. I need to go over these files now. Big scary judges don't like to wait. But I won't starve you. I'll let you treat me to lunch. Gumbo's the special today at my favorite haunt. I'll even drive. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back."

Booth was unable to protest and found himself sharing a meal with Caroline. Halfway through his gumbo, he received a text from his partner which simply read, "Lunch?" Catching the death glare from a lawyer on a mission, he coughed on a bit of okra and sent his regrets.

Eventually returned to the office, the day seemed to drag on. It seemed that Booth's entire afternoon was one interruption after another. Narcotics was asking him questions about a murder suspect and suspected supplier of half of DC, Charlie was heading his own investigation and needed advice on interrogation, Hacker needed files on a cold case from Major Crimes. Even Cam sent an e-mail, needing Booth to complete paperwork on an old case. Everyone needed him except for the one person he was most willing to help.

Booth was surprised to see that his business day had ended and them some. Somehow, the day that didn't want to end had ended. Booth yawned and stretched. He glanced at his watch. Perfect, it was early enough that his partner wouldn't have eaten dinner, but late enough that he could drag her away from work with a minimum of protest. He could still convince her to join him for a nice dinner. He could still salvage this day.

The knock on his office door stopped his planning, once again. A dejected looking Sweets was standing there. "I'm sorry to bother you, Agent Booth. I just wondered if you had a few minutes to talk."

Booth cringed. Whatever was bothering Sweets, chances are it started with a capital D. And he couldn't just walk away when the kid looked so sad. The baby duck's timing was impeccable. "Come on, kid. I'll buy you a beer and we can talk this out."

Two exhausting hours later, Booth had exited the bar. He was slightly tipsy, having drunk more than intended. The first beers were for putting up with Sweets' drama, the third and fourth rounds were for finally realizing that today wasn't his day. The evening that he had dreamed of was in fact just a dream, and he was left with this nightmare. He had finally packed Sweets into a cab and walked himself home.

Booth trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed and forget that this day had ever happened. He was once again disrupted from his plans by the fact that his partner was standing outside his door.

"Bones, what are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to reach you for hours. Where have you been?"

"Putting out fires." At her raised eyebrow, he clarified. "Metaphorically. Everyone needed my help today. Sweets especially." Booth pulled out his phone and silently cursed his dead battery, even as his heart lifted at the thought that his partner had missed him.

"Yes, I overheard the argument that he had with Miss Wick. I'm glad that he had someone to confide in. You are a good friend, Booth."

"Thanks, Bones. Don't worry about it too much. They'll be OK, I took care of it. Hey, why didn't you let yourself in? Don't you have a key?"

"Yes, but I wanted to wait for you." She suddenly seemed anxious and it seemed to make him nervous as he fumbled for his keys. He silently let them into his apartment. He had barely closed his door when she had jumped into his arms and firmly planted her lips on his. Booth stumbled a bit at her sudden weight, but quickly recovered.

It was several moments before they separated, and when they did they were both panting. Booth recovered first. "What was that for, Bones?"

"I was afraid that the day would end before I had a chance. I've been waiting to do that for hours."

Booth smiled and pulled their foreheads together. "Honestly, I've been waiting to do that for years. Why now?"

Booth was shocked at his partners shy response. "You know what day it is?"

Of course he did. He nodded and stole a kiss. "I'm glad you're here. Come on in, let's have a drink and talk."

Brennan smiled. "I'd like that."

Two minutes later Booth's arm was wrapped around Brennan as they sipped at their drinks and cuddled on the couch. "So Booth, how was your day?"

Booth leaned in for another kiss. "Perfect."


End file.
